


Pride

by VeteranKlaus



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, David "Dave" Katz Lives, Fluff, Gay Pride, M/M, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29571732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeteranKlaus/pseuds/VeteranKlaus
Summary: In which Klaus takes Dave to his first Pride.For the EnKlave fest prompt: Pride.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz
Comments: 34
Kudos: 96
Collections: EnKlave Fest 2021





	Pride

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by @punknatch's Pride prompt! Check her art out!!

“You’re going to love it,” declares Klaus. His lips spread in a smile, a genuine one, and he brushes his fingers along Dave’s cheek before he stands upright. Dave, sitting in a chair in front of him, has to tilt his head up to meet his eyes. His hand raises up and finds one of Klaus’.

“I’m excited,” he says, squeezing his hand. He interlaces their fingers and turned their hand around so when he lifted them, Klaus’s knuckles skate by Dave’s lips he can feel each puff of warm air he let out.

“You also look constipated,” he states. “Just a little bit.”

“Har-har,” Dave says, giving him a look that is only partially weakened by the nerves all over his face. With a gentle sigh, Klaus uses his foot to bring a spare chair closer to himself so that he can drop onto it and face Dave.

“I totally get it,” he says. His voice is a little softer, more serious and genuine. “You’re nervous. And that’s totally fair. But I promise that it’s okay, and it will be okay, and that you’ll love it.”

He reaches forwards, flicking a stray hair out of the way by his face, and then lets his hand hover nearby as he gazes at Dave and is simply content. Dave smiles, less nervous.

“I know. I am… a little nervous. It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around too, but I’ll be fine once we actually get there. And if not, you promised we could come back and make pancakes and cuddle.”

“We’re still definitely doing it no matter the outcome,” Klaus assures, nodding his head firmly. “Definitely. So, you know, if you get overwhelmed then just say and we can high-tail it out there.”

“I know.” Dave stands, and he opens his arms to envelope Klaus in a warm embrace. He rests his cheek on his shoulder and sighs, warm breath puffing out across his neck. Almost immediately, Klaus’ arms reach out and wrap around Dave in return. His eyes flutter shut at the contant and he melts into the hug, breathing out a soft sigh. 

He feels at peace with Dave. He feels safe with Dave, as if his open arms and soft eyes can shield him from the rest of the world; can create him a little world of their own, where he can just be wholly, unapologetically himself, without doubt or hesitation or insecurity. Being near Dave feels just as if he is with the other half of himself. 

When Dave’s embrace loosens slightly, Klaus pulls back enough that they can meet one another’s eyes. He smiles, brings his hands around his body to rest on his shoulders. “Alright, alright. We’ve got three hours until things really kick off, but we’ll go a bit earlier so I don’t just throw you in the deep end. That gives me… what, two hours? One and a half? To get ready. God, Dave, why didn’t you wake me up earlier - I’m going to look a mess.”

Dave quirks one of his eyebrows, giving him a look that is a mix of amusement and incredulous. “I  _ did, _ ” he says. “And you said;  _ Dave, we have plenty of time. _ ”

“Well-”

“So I woke you up five minutes after that again, and you ignored me.”

“I-”

“And you bit me when I tried to get out of bed.”

Letting out a dismissive laugh, Klaus scratches at the back of his neck and looks away. “I doubt I’d do something like that…”

“And then you cried a little, said something about preferring death over getting up, and refused to let me up.”

“The crying does sound a little like me,” Klaus mutters, grimacing. “Well… you should have tried harder.”

Dave snorts. He squeezes Klaus’ arm and then steps back - much to Klaus’ disappointment - and points at his wardrobe. “We have plenty of time. Just… skip a couple of steps in your skin-care routine.”

“I’ll break out, Dave,” Klaus whines, but he turns to his wardrobe and begins to look through his clothes. For a moment he wonders if he should dress more dramatically than he usually does, but quickly realises that he’s not entirely sure how to do that. With a large sigh, he rummages around before he settles on a long dress. It looks like it might have belonged to Allison ten years ago. A bright tie-dye pattern swirls across it all and when he pulls it on, it falls to his mid-shin. He turns around to look at Dave and raises his eyebrows.

“It’s bright,” he says.

“Thank you,” says Klaus, grinning. He turns back around, looking for a shawl or something to cover his shoulders with - it’s supposed to be hot today and he’ll be miserable if he gets sunburn. Then again, that gives him an excuse to have Dave rub his shoulders…

He picks up a shawl with a pattern that reminds him of butterfly wings, but he keeps his thoughts about sunburn and Dave in the back of his mind. With the shawl draped around his shoulders, he ties a little knot in it so it doesn’t fall down. It whirls out around him when he spins to look at Dave.

“Now, what do  _ you  _ want to wear?” He asks. He places his hands on his hips in thought. “Matching outfits would be cute, but I don’t know if I have more tie-dye stuff. Maybe a funky patterned skirt?”

“I think I’ll be okay with shorts,” Dave says. “Thank you, though.” He kisses Klaus on the cheek as he makes his way to the wardrobe and looks for his own clothes. Eventually he settles on a pair of beige shorts and a plain white shirt, and on top he adds a baby blue button up that nearly matches his eyes. He slips on a pair of flip flops and then gives Klaus a thumbs-up.

“Ready when you are.”

“Show off,” says Klaus. He narrows his eyes. “Did I get you that shirt?”

“You did,” Dave confirms, a fond smile on his face. He rubs the fabric between his thumb and his finger for a moment, and then he tucks the shirt into his shorts and raises his eyebrows at Klaus. He looks mildly impressed with himself, as if he’d just discovered a new way to style his clothes. 

“You dork,” Klaus snorts, but he can’t help but wrap his arms around his waist. “You look great. As always. Now; what colour should my eyeshadow be?”

Deciding to match his dress, his eyeshadow ends up being a mix of colours that he’s not sure are supposed to look good together, yet both he and Dave agree it just  _ works  _ for him. He adds highlighter to the inner corner of his eyes, and his cheekbones, and on the tip of Dave’s nose. He paints his lips with a bright red, and he sprays himself with some weird body shimmer thing he found in Allison’s room who-knows-how long ago, but it makes his skin and his hair glitter in the light and smells nice. He tops the look off with some accessories and a pair of heeled boots that he’ll probably come to regret later. He gives himself a once over and then he stands up, turns around, and grins at Dave.

Dave glances at his watch. “Huh. I think we’re still going to get there on time.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Klaus asks, pouting. 

“Of course not.” Dave slides over to his side, and his knuckles brush against Klaus’ collarbone as he adjusts his shawl. “You look lovely, and very glittery.”

“Good,” says Klaus, and he strokes a finger over Dave’s cheek, leaving glitter in his wake. “Glitter’s fun.”

“You’re very glittery,” Dave repeats. “But very lovely. You’re gorgeous.”

Klaus feels heat rise to his cheeks. He clasps his hands behind Dave’s neck - grins a little when Dave tilts his head up to meet his eyes, due to the height his heels give him. “You’re sweet.” 

Dave hums his acknowledgement and brings a hand up, pushing his hair back from his face. “I’m a lucky man, that’s for sure.”

“Daaave,” Klaus coos. Dave seems to revel for a moment in Klaus’ inability to respond to his compliment, and then he takes pity on him and kisses him. His lips come back with a faint red smudge and Klaus rubs it away with his thumb. “Are you ready?” he asks.

He can tell Dave is nervous. Excited, sure, but nervous nonetheless. Klaus is sure he’ll have a good time once he gets there, but he understands where Dave’s nerves are coming from and he doesn’t want to pressure him into this if he wants to back out, and he doesn’t want to overwhelm him either - which is why he wanted to go earlier, hopefully before a lot of people got there, and before the march started or it got too loud. 

“Yeah,” Dave says, nodding his head. “I am.”

“Sure?”

“Absolutely. I’m excited. I don’t want to miss this.”

With a smile, Klaus nods and takes his hand. This was something Klaus had been excited to tell Dave about when he came back to 2019 with him, something he was excited to show him, and he thinks it’ll be good for him as well. Whilst he’s getting better adjusting to the times, their relationship, especially in public, along with some views on his own sexuality, is something he still struggles with. Pride will either be something that overwhelms him, or it might help him. Klaus is hoping for the latter.

Dave brings a backpack with him, which they use to carry a couple of bottles of water, snacks, money and sunscreen, and then they head out. The streets are a little busier than usual, especially the further into town they walk, and the people they pass by become more colourful; with eye-catching, vibrant clothing, hair colours, makeup styles and, on more and more people, flags. Dave stares at them and their boldness in mild shock, and Klaus just squeezes his hand and leads the way to where the main event is being held. 

The closer they get to it, the busier the streets get; full of life and colour, and there are more and more decorations around the place - mainly flags, hung from buildings and tied to lampposts, up in windows and on little stickers stuck around the streets, varying in patterns and stripes and colours. Klaus sees some people with them painted on their faces, or worn around their shoulders, or on their shirts, or on little pins stuck to their clothes and bags.

“There’s… a lot,” Dave comments, tone something akin to wonder and trepidation, as if he fears it might all disappear if he acknowledges it.

“There is,” Klaus agrees, humming. “Ohh, look at that one.” He points to a little sticker on a phone booth they pass and Dave frowns at it.

“What’s it for?” He asks.

“That, my love, is the bisexual flag,” Klaus tells him. “It’s pretty.”

“Yeah,” Dave murmurs, distracted as he looks around. Klaus wonders if he should ask how he’s feeling or what he’s thinking, but he decides to give Dave a little more time.

Whilst they had come earlier to try to avoid the rush, there were still plenty of people around and the streets were bustling. Distantly, Klaus could hear music. 

He spent some time just walking around with Dave, letting him get used to the sights around him. Occasionally he spoke up to ask him what flag was for what when he didn’t recognise them, but otherwise he seemed content to just let Klaus guide him around whilst he was quiet. As more and more people came and the streets became packed with people however, Klaus decided to take Dave a few streets away, where it was a little quieter, so he could sit down. 

“So,” he says hesitantly, crossing one leg over the other. He can already feel an ache building in the balls of his feet and his toes and they’ve been out for less than two hours. “It’s bright, huh?”

Dave snorts a little. “You fit right in,” he says, pinching his dress. A couple of women walk by them, holding hands. One of them has a little pin on her shirt with a flag on it, and the other has a flag tied around her neck like a cape. They pass by Klaus and Dave to go into the cafe they’re sitting outside of. Dave watches them go, and then he reaches out and takes Klaus’ hand in his own.

“It’s nice,” he says. Klaus lights up.

“Yeah? You like it?”

“I do,” he says, and his voice is a little quiet and a little raw. He runs his thumb over Klaus’ knuckles. “It’s busier than I thought it’d be.”

“It gets very busy,” Klaus tells him, grinning a little. The streets were already getting packed just as they left and he knows it’ll only get busier if they decide to go to the heart of things, or if they stay out late for the parties. Klaus doubts they’ll stay out though, and for once he doesn’t really care about missing a party. He’d much rather have a night in with Dave.

“But it’s nice,” Dave adds. “Everyone there is… nice. It’s nice that everyone’s here.”

“It’s nice to see so many people out, celebrating like this,” he offers, and Dave nods. 

“It is,” he agrees. He’s quiet for a moment. “It’s real nice. There’s… no protestors?”

Klaus grimaces a little. “Eh… I’ve not seen any. There might be some around, but you know. Fuck them.” 

Dave snorts a little. Running a hand through his hair, he sighs and turns to look down the street, in the direction of where all the commotion from the festival is coming. “Are we going to go back?”

“If you want to,” Klaus says, then splays a hand across his stomach. “But my tummy’s rumbling, and we’re right outside a cafe.”

“I could eat,” Dave agrees, and with that, they slip into the cafe to order some food, and eat it together outside with the sun beating down on them. Every so often, people who are evidently here for Pride wander down the street, and Klaus catches Dave watching them often. 

Just as they’re finishing the last of their food and cleaning up, Dave blurts, “can we buy a flag?” 

Klaus looks up, eyebrows raised, and then a smile spreads across his face. “We certainly can,” he agrees. “There’ll be a ton of people selling things we can check out! Let’s go find them.”

Klaus reaches out for his hand and together they hurry back down the street, until they are once more weaving through people as the streets get more crowded, and they find themselves surrounded by bright colours and brighter people and an energy that makes Klaus’ veins buzz with excitement and elation. He can’t help but mirror the grins he sees on the people around him and when he turns to look back at Dave, he sees him with the same expression.

There are plenty of vendors around selling a variety of pride items. They seek out one selling flags first, and Klaus unwraps it as soon as it is in his hands. He holds it out in front of himself, grinning to Dave. 

“We can hang it up in our room,” he suggests. “Or in the living room. Or we could get a ton and put them everywhere.”

With a snort, Dave slides forwards. He wraps an arm around his waist and reaches a hand out to touch the flag. Klaus flips it over them, holding one corner whilst Dave holds the other, so that it flows out behind them like a cape. Dave smiles at him with a glint in his eyes and, certainly not for the first time, Klaus gets a little lost staring at Dave. The world around them melts away and it’s just Dave, with wrinkles around his eyes and light stubble on his jaw.

Klaus blinks and says, “this is really gay of us.”

A laugh bursts out of Dave’s mouth, his chest bouncing with it, and he nods his head almost enthusiastically. “Yeah,” he says, “it is. We  _ are. _ ”

“Hell yeah we are,” Klaus whoops, nudging Dave in the side and snickering. It takes them a moment to be able to compose themselves, and when they do, Klaus leans close and presses his lips to Dave’s, stealing a kiss from him. Dave follows him when he pulls back, eyes fluttering for a moment. 

Klaus throws his fist into the air, lifting up his side of the flag up, and exclaims, “onwards!”

They follow the general flow of the crowd around them, wandering aimlessly around the streets. Dave is content to just look around and take everything all in, and Klaus is just content to be there with him. He can tell when Dave begins to get more comfortable; when his nerves begin to melt away and he’s more confident when he reaches for Klaus’ hand, or wraps an arm around him, or reaches out to touch his face and to kiss him. He becomes more confident about being there too, seeming to revel in the energy around them. 

They run into a few more vendors around the place, and almost always go to see what they’re selling. Dave seems excited about the prospect of getting pride-themed things and Klaus is all too happy to indulge as well. At a small stall, someone is selling a wide variety of pins, which Klaus points out to his lover. They leave with Dave balancing a handful of them against his chest, eyes bright as he picks through them. Klaus pins a couple to the pocket of his shirt, and Dave smiles when he looks down and sees the bright colours of the rainbow staring back at him on his chest.

“Did you see this one?” Dave asks, holding up another one to show Klaus. It’s a small rainbow pin with a smiley face on it.

“He looks very happy,” Klaus comments, and pins it on Dave’s shirt collar. 

“Look how pretty this one is,” Dave says, showing him one of a rainbow with clouds at either end of it. “It’s a proper one too - it’s metal.”

Klaus taps it. “Sure is, huh,” he says, grinning. He pins it to Dave’s shirt. “You’ve got the fancy pins.”

Dave laughs a little and puts the rest into his pockets. “They’re cool! But you didn’t get any.” He almost sounds a little sad. Klaus squeezes his shoulder as if consoling him.

“We’ll find something else for me,” he says. “Besides, I think I already look the part.”

Dave looks at the glitter on his skin, the slightly-chipped nail polish in a variety of colours that he did last night, his bright dress and his eyeshadow, and then he laughs a little. “You look nice, though. I mean, more than just nice. Lovely.”

“Thank you,” Klaus coos, and presses a kiss to his cheek. He doesn’t point out the lip-shaped stain he leaves behind. “You’re not too bad yourself, soldier.”

Dave snorts. He squeezes his hand, and then he pauses to look around. He seems to be on a mission to find something for Klaus to buy, wandering around stalls and vendors.

“What - uh, what are the colours for the pan flag again?” He asks, brows furrowed in concentration. 

“Pink, yellow and blue,” Klaus hums, wrapping himself around one of Dave’s arms. 

“Like that?”

Klaus follows his finger until he finds the object he’s pointing at. He thinks it must be a flag, so he and Dave drift over. Upon closer inspection, they realise it’s a tank top in the colours of the flag. Dave buys it for him, and Klaus puts it on over his dress.

“Layering is all the rage,” he declares, and does a little spin for Dave. 

“The colours look good on you,” Dave says, fiddling with the hem of his shirt before letting go. 

“Danke schön!” Klaus exclaims. “I feel like a walking rainbow - I think I’ve got every colour on me.”

“I wouldn’t doubt that,” says Dave, arching an eyebrow and looking him up and down again. He pauses for a moment, lips pressed together, and then he reaches out a hand to rest on his cheek. His thumb runs along his cheekbone, shimmering with glitter and makeup. 

“You’re really amazing, Klaus,” he says, voice gentle. Heat rises to Klaus’ cheeks and he tilts his head into Dave’s touch.

“That sure is one word to describe me,” he jokes, but Dave shakes his head. 

“No, no - really. You’re just - you’re just  _ you _ . And you’re amazing. You’re you, and you’re not afraid to be, and that’s - really brave, Klaus.”

Klaus can feel his blush rise to the tips of his ears and he looks away for a moment, shifting under the weight of Dave’s gaze before looking back at him. He interlocks his fingers with Dave’s on his free hand and cocks his head to the side a little.

“You are too, you know,” he says. Dave shakes his head.

“Not like - not like you, not with - this kind of stuff-”

“Uh-uh,” says Klaus, quick to shush him. “You’re here, Dave. Decked out in cute little pride pins and a flag. I think that’s very brave of you.”

Dave smiles a little, but it’s wobbly, and there is a wet shine to his eyes. With a gentle sigh, Klaus wraps his arms around him and pulls him into a tight embrace with Dave’s head on his shoulder, tucked into the crook of his neck. 

“You are brave, and you’re strong, and you’re wonderful. Now you can be proud.”

Dave’s breath hitches a little and his arms squeeze Klaus in a tight hug. “I am,” he murmurs. “I am proud - of us - of being with you.”

“Of  _ yourself _ ,” Klaus adds, running his fingers through his hair. When Dave hesitates a moment too long, Klaus lifts his head back a little. Dave is a little reluctant to meet his gaze. When he blinks, the skin beneath his eyes is wet, and Klaus wipes it away with his thumbs. 

“I’m proud of you, Dave,” he says. “I always will be. You’re an amazing person, Dave. Be proud of who you are. I love you.”

Dave’s eyes flutter shut for a moment, his cheek pressing into Klaus’ hands. “I love you,” he murmurs, and turns so he can press a kiss to the palm of his hand, right over  _ HELLO.  _ Klaus uses his hands to tug Dave a little closer so that he can kiss him. 

“Come on,” he says, pulling back and grinning. “There’s a few things going on that we can go to in the park - some speeches and poetry stuff, some singing and boogying - if you want to see it? Or we can head back home, if you want.”

“I want to see it,” Dave insists, taking one of his hands from his cheeks. “Lead the way.”

“Aye aye, soldier,” says Klaus with a wink.

The park seems a little less crowded, if only because people are spread out around the place, sitting on the grass in groups or couples. There’s a stage that’s been set up and there’s already someone on it, talking into a microphone about the city’s pride festival. He and Dave sit a little away to have some space by themselves whilst still being able to hear the people on the stage.

Klaus has attended Pride before many times, but it was only ever for the parties, and he’d never stuck around for the actual festival. It’s nicer than he had expected it would be, to just sit in a park and listen to organisers talk about the event, and to people that step up with poems and speeches; surrounded by people who, when they give him a second glance, it’s out of appreciation for his outfit or makeup rather than disdain. 

It’s surprisingly refreshing. The energy in the air is almost painfully happy and it rubs off on him; makes him lounge into the grass at ease, feeling calm and almost irritatingly positive. 

Dave sits up beside him, quiet as he listens to what’s going on around him. At some point, Klaus finds himself with his head on Dave’s lap as Dave runs his fingers through his hair distractedly. With the sun warming his skin, Dave’s fingers constantly running through his hair, and the grass tickling the skin of his calves, Klaus felt as if he could almost drift off right there. He was only stopped when the crowd in the park started clapping - Dave included - for whoever had been talking and it jolted him from his sleepy daze.

“What was it?” Klaus asks in a mumble, rubbing his eyes. 

“A poem,” says Dave, blinking down at him. “It was really nice.”

“Maybe you should write a poem,” Klaus says. With slight reluctance, he hauls himself upright and leans against Dave’s side. 

“What would I even write about?”

“Dunno. Me?”

Dave snorts. “Mmm, maybe.”

“You’d write a poem about me?” Klaus asks, suddenly interested at the idea of Dave actually doing it. Dave shrugs.

“I mean, I can’t promise it’d be any good, like her’s,” he points at the woman walking off the stage, “but if it was about you, I’m sure I could be inspired.”

“That’d be so sweet,” Klaus breathes. Dave chuckles and noses into the side of his head. “I’d frame it.”

“ _ That _ would be sweet,” Dave replies. 

“When did we both become so sweet?”

“Sometime in ‘Nam, I guess.”

“Mmm, where our romance was born.”

Dave snorts a little. “It was a very romantic place.”

“The romantic-est. You know me; romance is my middle name.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it legally was.”

Klaus flashes him a grin. He leans back onto him, head on his shoulder, and then he turns his attention to the stage.

A few more people go up, but the park gets more crowded as more people find their way there and the sky begins to turn a little grey as clouds start stretching out over it. Dave offers to stay out, if Klaus wants to show him the party-scene, but with his feet aching fiercely from his heels and a light sting on his nose and cheeks, probably from the hot sun, Klaus doesn’t feel inclined to stay out. The idea of going home after today and spending it with Dave, in their little apartment, adding their new purchases to the clutter around the place, is more tempting than a party. 

Dave seems happy with that idea as well, and he helps Klaus to his feet with a smile before they take their leave and begin the walk back to their apartment. Even as they get streets away, Klaus can still see plenty of people and groups around that had evidently been out for Pride; with flags and makeup and glitter everywhere, wandering around and going home. It’s an odd thing that makes him happy, to see the random clusters of people in the city that pass them by and catch their eyes and share a smile with them.

“Why did I wear heels?” Klaus moans, half-way to their apartment. “My feet are dying.”

“It was for the look,” Dave says, repeating a statement Klaus has said multiple times before. He pouts at Dave before leaning more heavily on him.

“And it was worth it. Maybe. Honestly? I don’t know if it was. What if my feet fall off, Dave? What will we ever do?”

“You’d never be able to wear heels again.”

A shudder runs down Klaus’ spine. “The horror.”

Dave snorts. He stops walking and fiddles to get into his backpack that he brought with him. And, because he is an incredible, amazing person, he pulls out a pair of flip flops that Klaus didn’t see him put in. He holds them out to him with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh my god,” Klaus breathes. “I love you so… so much.”

Dave laughs, and helps support him when he takes his heels off and slips his sore feet into the flip flops, all the while muttering declarations of love for Dave. He carries his heels in one hand and drapes the other over Dave’s shoulders. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” he asks with a pleased sigh when he takes another step forwards and pain doesn’t erupt in the balls of his feet.

“Just a couple hundred times in the past two minutes,” says Dave.

“Not enough,” Klaus mutters, shaking his head. “You’re so… smart. And wonderful. And caring. Like… wow. Dave, just wow.”

“It’s a pair of flip flops, Klaus,” Dave laughs. Klaus freezes suddenly, and places his hands on Dave’s shoulders to turn him so that he is facing Klaus.

“It is more than just a pair of flip flops, David,” he states. “It is so much more than that.”

With that, he lets go and begins walking down the street again, leaving Dave to catch up to his side. He doesn’t say anything, but the two share an amused grin before moving on.

Whilst the flip flops saved his feet from falling off, he was still eager to be able to collapse onto the sofa in their living room as soon as he could, and he silently made a vow to never walk again. He could have Dave carry him everywhere. Surely Dave wouldn’t mind.

“Comfortable?” he asks as he locks the door and drops onto the space Klaus had left for him.

“Mmh.”

“Nice.”

Klaus lifts a hand. Dave high-fives it. 

“Nice,” Klaus echoes. He spends a moment building up the courage to sit back up, and he unties the shawl from around his neck, whilst Dave does the same with their flag that had ended up around him. Dave holds the material between his fingers for a moment. 

“Can we hang this up somewhere?” He asks. 

“Hell yes we can,” Klaus says. “And we can put the rest of your pins on one of your coats, or on your bag.”

“That’d be cute,” Dave says, a small smile on his face. 

“And then…” Klaus pokes Dave’s arm. “We can make pancakes and not move for the rest of the night?”

Dave, with a light sunburn across his face and a smudged lip-stick print on his cheek, nods eagerly.

“My legs are tired,” he moans. Klaus juts his lower lip out and pats Dave’s thigh sympathetically. 

“But it was worth it, right?” Klaus asks. Dave sighs, a soft expression crossing his face. 

“Yeah. Yeah, it was,” he agrees. “That was… really nice, Klaus. It was really nice.”

Klaus’ knuckles brush lightly over his cheek. “We’ll already have a flag and shirt ready for next year,” he says, eyebrows raised. Dave grins.

“We’ll look great.”

“Even gayer than this year?”

“Even gayer.” 

“It’ll be a challenge, but I’m confident that we can do it,” Klaus says. He stretches his arms out above himself while Dave snickers, and then he takes Dave’s hand and goes to stand up. “Let’s go put this flag up then.”

Dave tugs him back down. His other hand catches his cheek and guides him into a sudden kiss, and Klaus melts into it, eyes closing and shoulders slumping. Dave lets out a little gasp when he pulls back, and his forehead bumps Klaus’.

“Alright, now we can.”

They pin the flag up in the living room. Klaus only pricks his fingers twice with the little pins and has Dave kiss them better just because he knows he would do it. Klaus can see the flag from where he sits on their bed later that night, a stomach full of homemade pancakes and some cream on his sunburn. His tongue pokes out between his teeth as he concentrates on threading a pin onto Dave’s bag. It reads;  _ Gay And Proud. _

“Klaus?” Dave calls from the bathroom. His voice is warbled with his toothbrush still in his mouth. 

“Mhmm?”

“How long has the lipstick been on my cheek for?”

Klaus pauses. Dave slips out of the bathroom and gives him a questioning look, pointing to the mark still on his cheek. Despite the grin slowly appearing on his face, Klaus says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Goodnight.”

He drops the bag on the end of the bed and swiftly turns the bedside lamp out. His attempt at hiding from Dave in the dark is, however, destroyed by the fact that he refuses to turn his fairy lights off.

Dave snorts. A couple of minutes later, the mattress dips as Dave crawls into bed behind him and wraps an arm around him. Klaus places his hand over his and shimmies back a little, pressing his back to Dave’s chest.

Dave’s lips ghost over his neck and his stubble tickles his skin. He tucks his face against Klaus and says, after several moments of silence, “happy pride.”

“Happy pride,” Klaus echoes, a soft smile stretching his lips. He lifts his head a little, but he can only see Dave’s hair and he looks forwards again. Dave’s fingers brush across his bare chest and he tries, impossibly, to hold him closer. 

“I love you,” he murmurs. 

Klaus’ eyes slip shut. Without hesitation, he repeats, “I love you too, Dave.”


End file.
